Meltable Fuze Plugs - Industry Question and Response_25 Apr 2023.docx

Meltable Fuze Plugs Solicitation W15QKN-23-R-0033 Responses to Industry Questions Dated 23 March 2023 Revised 25 April 2023

Question 1: Can the Government provide NOR R19A2019/2020-04-02?

Answer: The Quality Assurance Provisions (QAP) 13058585 is in PRON P22C16 and is already updated by Engineering Change Proposal (ECP) R19A2019, therefore there is no need to provide under separate cover.

Question 2: Reference 2.2 on page 27 of the solicitation. “2.2 Unit Package Quantity - Unless otherwise specified, the unit package quantity shall be one each part,” Please verify that the government does not intend for the Meltable Fuze Plug Assembly (MFPA) to be packaged one per unit package. Also, on the past procurement the government required that the MFPA’s be sealed in a vapor barrier bag. Is this required for the present procurement?

Answer: The Government does not intend for the MFPA to be packaged one per unit package.

Commercial Packaging Requirements specifies that items susceptible to corrosion or deterioration shall be provided protection such as water-vapor-proof barriers. Also, items requiring protection from physical and mechanical damage, or which could cause physical damage to other items, shall be protected by wrapping, cushioning, pack compartmentalization, or other means to mitigate shock and vibration and prevent damage during handling and shipment. Therefore, the following verbiage would apply and will be updated in Section D of Amendment 0001 of the solicitation: “Detailed Packing Requirements: The fuze shall be separated by fiberboard separators to prevent damage to finish and threads. A water vapor proof barrier bag is required around entire quantity per pack to prevent corrosion.”

Question 3: We note that the Economic Price Adjustment Clause on page 39 is limited to Steel. We recommend that the government consider also allowing possible economic adjustments for the Ionomer. Since the COVID pandemic pricing for ionomer resins have seen some dramatic pricing variations.

Answer: The Government has completed an independent pricing evaluation and it doesn’t appear any potential price adjustments for resin would be significant enough to warrant a price adjustment. Pricing indices have already seen a de-escalation and stability in resin pricing. Therefore, resin will not be included in the EPA clause.

Question 4: Reference L.4.1.2 Quality System: This section discusses a Critical Characteristics Safety Plan and section a) requires a description of the manufacturing processes associated with the critical characteristics. Please confirm that there are no Critical Characteristics defined for the MFPA and therefore these proposal instructions are not applicable.

Answer: Correct. There are no Critical Characteristics defined for the MFPA and therefore these proposal instructions are not applicable.

Question 5: Reference Solicitation section L4.1.3 c. Capability Plan: Can the government provide a description or further detail for the desired content of the capability plan? Is the capability plan only relevant to obtaining capabilities that are not presently in place?

Answer: While the USG cannot provide details for how to complete a Capability Plan, it should include how the Offeror plans to meet the first article test and production quantities within a designated schedule and cost. This should be evident as a whole in the submitted proposal in which proves capability for meeting contractual obligations.